Android Co-Founder Andy Rubin ‘Plans’ Smartphone Return

Andy Rubin, who founded Android back in 2003 and brought the company to Google when he joined the search giant in 2005, is reportedly in the planning stage of developing his own handset.

Sources speaking to The Information say Rubin is in the process of trying to recruit personnel to help build a new phone company, which will be supported through Playground Fund, Rubin’s vehicle for investing in start-ups, which so far has raised about $300 million (£200m).

Return

Rubin founded Android in October 2003 with Rich Miner, Nick Sears and Chris White, with the aim of “smarter mobile devices that are more aware of its owner’s location and preferences”.

His abrupt departure from Google in 2013 left many surprised, as he had helped Google establish a firm foothold in the mobile space which it has maintained to this day.

He officially left the company in November 2014 having handed over the Android reins to Sundar Pichai, who is still in charge, having been responsible for overseeing the company’s purchase of numerous robotics startups, including Boston Dynamics back in December 2013.

Android smartphones have proved to be a lucrative space for many companies over the past few years, as the software has been licenced to device manufacturers around the world.

Recent figures from Gartner found that Android phones dominated the worldwide smartphone operating system usage figures with 84.7 percent of the market, ahead of iOS on 13.1 percent and Windows on 1.7 percent.

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